


Templars with Candy

by Alcnolien



Series: Talia Amell: The Unauthorized Biography [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Budding Love, F/M, Fluff, Kinloch Hold, Lothering, One Shot, Pre-Dragon Age: Origins, Short & Sweet, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8110009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alcnolien/pseuds/Alcnolien
Summary: A small act of kindness from Talia Amell's childhood establishes an unexpected pattern.





	

 “Will you shut that crying up?”

“Ser Phineas, she's just a child! Have some compassion.”

“Have some compassion for my poor head while you're at it, Ser Jacob!”

The two templars bickered back and forth. Above all of this, a loud, steady wail could be heard, coming from a young girl who couldn't have been more than 6 years old. Tears streamed down her cheeks to mix with snot, the mixture concluding its journey as it was wiped onto her sleeve.

The crying only became worse as the argument went on- she had already been dragged away from her mother that morning, and her feet (not used to exercise) were starting to get blisters. Two large men in full armor yelling at each other was not exactly soothing.

“Look, see? You're scaring her!” The second templar, the one called Ser Jacob, knelt down to eye level and removed his helmet, revealing dark skin, soft, tightly curled hair, and a gentle smile.

“Hey there, sweetheart.” He murmured, patting her gently on the shoulder. “I know all of this is really scary, but we'll stop yelling now, I promise. Here,” He continued, reaching into a pocket hidden within his robes to produce a handkerchief and a few hard candies. “Maybe these will make you feel a little better. Dry those tears, kiddo.”

The girl eyed the candy warily, suspicious. However, she also brought her sobbing down to a whimper. She accepted the gifts with trembling hands, wiping her face and blowing her nose with the handkerchief before carefully unwrapping one of the candies. She gently stowed the other candies away for later- a precious commodity to be treasured, now that she had so little to her name.

Jacob smiled. “There, you feel better?” She nodded glumly, tears still gathering in the corners of her eyes. “.... You miss your family?” She nodded again, sniffling. “I know. I miss my family too, every day. But, the circle has kind of become like a new family for me. I mean, for me it's mostly been with the templars, but we all take care of each other. And there will be a bunch of other kids for you to play with, and you'll have a good school. It's not all scary.”

She considered this information as Ser Jacob stood, groaning as he stretched his back. She glanced up at him hesitantly to find him still smiling back down at her.

“It's funny,” he continued, offering his hand, “Families have a way of forming where you least expect them.”

She hesitated for a moment, before gingerly grasping onto the proffered hand. He smiled gently, leading her over to where his partner waited, foot tapping impatiently.

“Are we ready now?” Ser Phineas snapped. The girl recoiled, her grip tightening on Jacobs hand.

“Yes we are, and _be nice_.”

The girl didn't say much during the rest of the journey that day, but Ser Jacob endeavored to keep her distracted with stories and games. When she was too tired to walk any further, the two templars took turns carrying her until they found a safe place to camp.

By the time they reached the circle in Ferelden a week later, the little girl was laughing and joking right along with Ser Jacob, and Ser Phineas had even cracked a smile or two when he thought no one was looking.

 

* * *

 

12 years later, and Talia had long ago settled into the circle – it was just like Jacob had said, she'd found a new family. Jowan was like the tight-ass younger brother she never asked for, Irving was a good mentor/father-figure, and Ser Jacob even came by once in a while to visit, like a cool older cousin she only saw twice a year. After spending so much time at the tower, it honestly felt more like home than anyplace else she had been.

Recently, a group of newly trained templars had joined her extended “family” at the tower. Among them was one in particular, curly haired and still with a hint of baby fat, who had caught her attention.

She wasn't sure what it was, but he'd quickly grown on her- he had a good head on his shoulders, even though he seemed to stutter a lot around her. She'd made a habit out of teasing the poor boy- he was so easily flustered, she couldn't help herself. Jowan simply shook his head after every encounter. “You're just going to make it worse,” he'd sighed once, after she'd startled poor Cullen so badly that his sword belt had just fallen off somehow. Talia just snickered.

One day, she found him, apparently alone, in the middle of a hallway. She grinned, about to greet him, before she noticed a couple of young apprentice mages were with him. Talia scrambled into a doorway, peering around the corner to watch. He didn't normally spend time fraternizing with the younger mages – what was he doing?

The children appeared to be talking rather animatedly. Cullen simply nodded, trying to maintain his stoic professionalism, before he turned to look over his shoulder, scanning the hallway. Talia scooted as far away from the corner as she could while still maintaining visual contact. Satisfied that no one else was watching, he turned back to the two kids and pulled something out of his pockets – Talia squinted, leaning further around the doorframe to see that it was a few pieces of hard candy. The children's eyes lit up, and Cullen finally smiled, a nostalgic look in his eye.

Talia's heartbeat started to thud in her ears. She'd never seen him really smile before – flustered, apologetic, nervous smiles, yes, but not a real, genuine smile. It reminded her of Ser Jacob- a kind smile and a few pieces of candy, a small yet significant act of kindness. _Curly hair, too,_ she realized, smiling to herself. _Maybe this is some kind of weird pattern in my life. Templars with candy._

It was really kind of hilarious - Cullen tried to act all tough and stoic, but inside he was just a big softie. She couldn't help chuckling. Cullen's smile vanished as Talia clapped her hand over her mouth. His head whipped toward her, scanning the hallway– he had heard her. She ducked out of sight, cursing herself silently for spoiling the moment.

She could hear him say something to the apprentices before his footsteps started approaching- to her relief, he walked right past her, not noticing her hiding spot. She watched him walk off down the hallway before he turned a corner, disappearing from sight. She sighed, letting go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Even so, her face stayed flushed and her heart kept racing. Try as she might, she couldn't convince herself that it was just because she had almost been caught.

  

* * *

 

One year after that, and everything that Talia had thought of as home had been ripped away from her, replaced by betrayal and death. Still, she tried to keep up a positive front in front of the rest of the group, which honestly wasn't too difficult with Alistair around.

“Where did you even find someone selling candy out here?” She asked incredulously, one corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. “We've had a hard enough time finding regular supplies, with the whole town packing up to flee the horde.”

“I'm jusht lucky, I gueth,” he answered through a mouthful of candy.

Talia laughed.“You look like a chipmunk! How much do you have in there?”

Alistair thought for a moment before shrugging, and Talia simply laughed harder. Morrigan scoffed, muttering something to herself about being surrounded by fools. The rest of the group had already scattered throughout Lothering, looking for supplies to stock up- they had a long journey ahead of them, and would need everything they could get.

The two were browsing a selection of herbs when a distant noise caught Alistair's attention. He looked up, eyes scanning the general area until he found its source, brows furrowing. “I'll be right back,” he said, leaving before she could respond.

“W-wait, where are you....” She trailed off- he was already too far away for him to hear her. She sighed, placing the herbs she was looking at back on the table. “... How am I supposed to pay for these if you're carrying the money, you dope?”

When she finally found him again, he was kneeling next to a young boy who was bawling his eyes out. From what she could see at a distance he was talking to him, trying to comfort him and find out what was wrong. When talking obviously wasn't working, he started to make faces – sticking his tongue out, crossing his eyes, and stretching his cheeks. The boys tears started to slow as he watched this production, finally dissolving into giggles and a loud “Eeeewwww” as Alistair turned his eyelids inside out. Talia snickered – it was juvenile, but she couldn't deny the results.

A satisfied grin on his face, Alistair's ruffled the boys hair with one hand, reaching into his pocket with the other. Talia's breath hitched in her throat as he pulled something out– a few pieces of the candy he had bought earlier.

Talia found herself staring at the two, overcome with an incredible sense of deja vu.

Wide, tear-filled eyes. A kind smile, framed by templar armor. And a few pieces of hard candy.

“ _Families have a way of forming where you least expect them.”_

The boy appeared to thank him excitedly, a broad grin erasing all signs that he had been crying just two minutes ago. A voice in the distance called him over, and the boy ran off, all smiles. Alistair stood up, smiling himself as he watched him run off and cling to the skirt of the woman who must have been his mother.

Satisfied that the boy was safe, he turned back toward Talia. Their eyes met, and Alistair jumped, surprised that she had been watching him. He smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish laugh. She chuckled to herself as he stumbled back towards her, crossing her arms in front of her and shaking her head.

_Well,_ she thought, _you certainly do have a type._


End file.
